And The Beat goes on with Dave Wakeling at The Caves

BOOK NOW: FUSING ska, pop, soul, reggae and punk rock, The Beat first exploded onto the music scene in the early 80s.

With a line-up that then included Dave Wakeling on vocals and guitar, Ranking Roger, Andy Cox, David Steele), Everett Morton, Lionel Augustus Martin, they released three albums - I Just Can’t Stop It, Wha’ppen?, and Special Beat Service - and a raft of singles, including Mirror in the Bathroom, Too Nice to Talk To, Can’t Get Used to Losing You, Hands Off, She’s Mine and All Out to Get You.

There’s a chance to relive them next month at The Caves when The Beat starring Dave Wakeling stop off in the Capital as part of a rare UK tour.

The tour bring them to Edinburgh as Wakeling is putting the finishing touches to his first studio album under The Beat moniker since Special Beat Service in 1982.

Tentatively titled Here We Go Love, it’s an album that captures the best of The Beat’s signature traits – uplifting ska rhythms, infectious pop hooks and multi-cultural influences – while also adding fresh angles and a surfeit of Californian sunshine which reflects Wakeling’s adopted home.

As ever, his lyrics insightfully explore political and personal issues with a barbed wit, while that voice - heard on The Beat’s classics - is richer than ever before.

After first establishing his reputation with The Beat, Wakeling enjoyed further success in the States with the supergroup General Public and also released a solo album No Warning in 1991.

Since returning to music in the early 2000s, Wakeling has played an estimated 1000 shows as the frontman of The English Beat. Fans of his music have included Pete Townshend, Elvis Costello, Eddie Vedder, John Peel and the late film director John Hughes.